Department of Energy and Climate Change
Encyclopedia
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is a British government department created on 3 October 2008 by Prime Minister
Gordon Brown
to take over some of the functions of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
(energy) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(climate change). It is led by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
, currently the Rt Hon Chris Huhne
MP.
The Department released a major White Paper
in July 2009 that sets out its purpose and plans.
From October 2008 to May 2010, the DECC Ministers were as follows:
are decided at Westminster. Key reserved and excepted energy matters (i.e. not devolved) are as follows:
Scotland
Northern Ireland
Nuclear energy
is excepted.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
is responsible for general energy policy.
Wales
Under the Welsh devolution settlement, specific policy areas are transferred to the National Assembly for Wales
rather than reserved to Westminster.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
to take over some of the functions of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform was a United Kingdom government department. The department was created on 28 June 2007 on the disbanding of the Department of Trade and Industry , and was itself disbanded on 6 June 2009 on the creation of the Department for Business,...
(energy) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
(climate change). It is led by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change is a British government cabinet position currently held by Chris Huhne. The government department was created on 3 October 2008 when former Prime Minister Gordon Brown reshuffled his cabinet....
, currently the Rt Hon Chris Huhne
Chris Huhne
Christopher Murray Paul-Huhne, generally known as Chris Huhne is a British politician and cabinet minister, who is the current Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire...
MP.
The Department released a major White Paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
in July 2009 that sets out its purpose and plans.
Ministers
The DECC Ministers are as follows:| Minister | Rank | Portfolio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Rt Hon Chris Huhne Chris Huhne Christopher Murray Paul-Huhne, generally known as Chris Huhne is a British politician and cabinet minister, who is the current Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire... MP |
Secretary of State Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change is a British government cabinet position currently held by Chris Huhne. The government department was created on 3 October 2008 when former Prime Minister Gordon Brown reshuffled his cabinet.... |
Overall responsibility (includes energy security) | |
| Gregory Barker Gregory Barker Gregory Leonard George "Greg" Barker is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he currently serves as the Member of Parliament for Bexhill and Battle... MP |
Minister of State | Climate change, fuel poverty and green economy | |
| Charles Hendry Charles Hendry Charles Hendry is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Wealden. In May 2010 he was appointed Minister of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change.-Early life:... MP |
Minister of State | Oil and gas, nuclear and renewable energy | |
| The Rt Hon The Lord Marland | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State | Performance and efficiency |
| Key | Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|---|---|
| Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the... |
From October 2008 to May 2010, the DECC Ministers were as follows:
- Secretary of State for Energy and Climate ChangeSecretary of State for Energy and Climate ChangeThe Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change is a British government cabinet position currently held by Chris Huhne. The government department was created on 3 October 2008 when former Prime Minister Gordon Brown reshuffled his cabinet....
: The Rt Hon Ed MilibandEd MilibandEdward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
MP - Minister of State for Energy (from June 2009): The Rt Hon Joan RuddockJoan RuddockJoan Mary Ruddock is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Lewisham Deptford since 1987. She is a feminist and is the wife of Frank Doran, the Labour MP for Aberdeen North...
MP - Minister of State: The Rt Hon The Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State: David KidneyDavid KidneyDavid Neil Kidney is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Stafford from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
MP
Management
- Permanent SecretaryPermanent SecretaryThe Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
(October 2008-) - Moira Wallace. - Chief Scientific Advisor (October 2009-) - David J. C. MacKay.
Devolution
The devolution of energy policy varies around the UK; most aspects in Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
are decided at Westminster. Key reserved and excepted energy matters (i.e. not devolved) are as follows:
Scotland
- electricityElectricityElectricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
- oilOilAn oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and gasGasGas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons... - coalCoalCoal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
- nuclear energyNuclear powerNuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
- energy efficiencyEfficient energy useEfficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
Northern Ireland
Nuclear energy
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
is excepted.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...
is responsible for general energy policy.
Wales
Under the Welsh devolution settlement, specific policy areas are transferred to the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
rather than reserved to Westminster.
See also
- Energy policy of the United KingdomEnergy policy of the United KingdomThe current energy policy of the United Kingdom is set out in the Energy White Paper of May 2007 and Low Carbon Transition Plan of July 2009, building on previous work including the 2003 Energy White Paper and the Energy Review Report in 2006...
- Energy use and conservation in the United KingdomEnergy use and conservation in the United KingdomEnergy use in the United Kingdom stood at 3,894.6 kilogrammes of oil equivalent per capita in 2005 compared to a world average of 1,778.0. In 2008, total energy consumed was 9.85 exajoules - around 2% of the estimated 474 EJ worldwide total...
External links
- Department of Energy and Climate Change
- UK Government - low carbon news site
- Moira Wallace official biography